Gotham's Aftermath
by Quinis
Summary: Dick erased himself and vanished. Here's how his family reacted as time passed. Sequel to Erasure


**Notes:** This story is a sequel to 'Erasure'. This sequel is just focused on DC's characters and how they deal (or not) after Dick's disappearance. Anyway, coming next week is the next sequel as a separate story detailing where Dick went and how he's doing. It's separate because it's going to be another White Collar crossover where Dick is Neal. Anyway, here's a little **oneshot** I called 'Gotham's Aftermath'. Hope you enjoy *bows*.

* * *

 **Gotham's Aftermath**

* * *

It had been a simple comment said with innocence.

 _"I can't find Nightwing's files."_

Shazam would kick himself over and over for weeks to come, in spite of the number of times Superman told him that they would have realised eventually and he just had the misfortune of being the first to notice.

It was hard to remember that when Gotham's vigilantes closed ranks. Gotham dropped off the superhero map.

In the Justice League, only Superman had been able to contact Batman. And only twice. The first time, Superman returned sooner than expected. He had a frown on his face and tears in his eyes. The second time, when he went to discuss Batman returning to the Justice League after he had failed to appear for days, Superman returned looking rather green. Batman had gotten the kryptonite out in an attempt to get him to leave.

The Teen Titans were also down a member. Red Robin had called in and handed all command over to Wonder Girl before dropping into the black hole that was Gotham, just like Batman. The Teen Titans had tried over and over in vain to contact him.

Oracle still assisted those heroes who used the information broker's services however some were wondering if she had replaced herself with an AI. Communication was brief and open at all times. If she hadn't created an AI to replace her, it meant she was up at almost all hours of the day.

* * *

In fact, Oracle wasn't. She had just made base in the Clocktower with her computers so that they were always in reach. She felt betrayed by her computers and lost trust in them, even as she used them to search for their missing member.

How had Dick's virus gotten into her computers? Why didn't she notice? These questions tormented her. Her computers had been manipulated into hiding him and she was determined to redeem them. To find Dick.

* * *

Batman searched. Red Robin started almost living in the cave to help. Batman barked order after order at him. Orders were followed with a stormy silence and determination.

After finding the paper articles, untouched by Dick's erasure, Red Hood had attempted to vanish. Batman didn't really have time to search for him but he didn't want to lose another of his sons. He cornered Red Hood and recruited him into a wider search. Red Hood was fine with travelling to escape, keeping an eye out for Dick in other countries and being their feet on the ground in other states whenever they thought there was a lead.

Robin was subjected to interrogation after interrogation. He had spent a lot of time with Dick in the past few years and Batman was desperate for any information which might tell him where his eldest had vanished to. It turned out that Robin had committed most of Dick's stories to memory. Recalling them made him hurt and angry but he kept his cool until his father was done with questions. Then, Robin locked himself in his room.

However, none of them turned up any results. Not even a hint of Dick could be found.

Cass and Steph silently entered and left the cave, coming and going as they wished and helping with the search in their own way. Most of their information and leads came from Oracle. They helped her hunt them down as she couldn't bring herself to leave the Clocktower to do so.

Oracle was the only one who Batman didn't growl at during those first few, turbulent weeks. She had her own search which complimented Batman's. She did things her way and he would respect that or she would cut contact with him. Batman had no choice but to act civilly towards her or lose valuable resources.

The other vigilantes in Gotham were assigned to keeping the peace while the main family searched. Even Catwoman had been spotted helping out. Villains quickly learnt not to ask where Nightwing got off to.

* * *

Days became weeks. Weeks became a month. Then two. Then two and a half. They could not ignore the world forever, no matter how much they wanted to believe they could. Representatives of Dick's group, the Titans, appeared on the manor doorstep. Donna and Wally stood there in civvies and politely asked to be let in.

Donna stared Batman down as she laid out how they hadn't heard from Dick in weeks. Wally had checked all Dick's usual haunts to find them empty or handed off to someone new. They asked the question no one had been able to find an answer for.

"Where is he?"

The answer, "we don't know," hurt to admit.

Wally was shocked and questioned what he meant. Donna had some idea and her face hardened into a disapproving frown as Bruce explained what they had managed to piece together. They had managed to piece together little of where Dick had gone after erasing himself. There was a figure in Gotham Airport but also a taxi driver Red Robin found who had given a lift to a dark haired blue eyed man to the train station.

"That's not good enough," Donna growled. The disapproving frown gave way to anger. Her hands went to her hips, curled into tight fists.

It wasn't good enough. But it was all they had.

Time passed.

Batman's search became second nature, the fire and need evaporating but still going on between cases. When Tim called him out on leaving the search on the back-burner like a cold case, Batman growled that Dick obviously didn't want to be found and maybe they should respect that.

Tim hissed back that maybe if he wasn't like that, if he didn't put Batman above them, Dick wouldn't have left. Then he left.

The Teen Titans were glad to have their leader back. Tim might have been a little duller than before, more quiet, more demanding and working himself harder than the rest of them, but they could work with that. They could nudge and tempt.

 _"Red Robin, we're watching a movie, want to join us?"_

 _"Hey, RR! Wonder Girl bought ice cream! Here, have one!"_

 _"Come train with us!"_

Eventually, Tim found himself joining them without being asked. It was a distraction where he could forget about his missing brother for just a little while.

* * *

Robin growled as Batgirl landed next to him.

"What do you want, Fatgirl?" he questioned.

Batgirl hummed in an interested way, flicking her blond hair as she took a seat next to him. Across from them was the police station.

"I was wondering how your search for Nightwing was going?"

"-tt- Talk to father or that failure, Red Robin. I don't care about searching for someone who doesn't want to be here." Batgirl stared at him for a while. "What? You want to fight? I'll destroy you."

"Of course you will," Batgirl commented.

"No, I'll-" Damian blinked. That was not a denial. "What?"

"I won't fight back so you'll probably win," Batgirl responded with a shrug. "Besides, it's not like Nightwing didn't want to be here."

"How can you possibly know that?" Robin demanded to know.

Batgirl made him wait while she ran off to beat up some muggers. Right around the corner from the police station too.

"Honestly, how did they expect to get away with that?" she commented as she left them tied up for the police.

Robin had followed her because he was curious. "Father said Nightwing left because he didn't want to be here."

Batgirl looked up at him, perched on the roof. She quickly used a grappling hook, hooked around a street light, to lift her up to the roof. She did a tumble as she landed.

Robin stood there waiting. His face was slightly turned down and it was a stark contrast from the kid with his head held high. Oracle had mentioned that Bruce had spent hours practically interrogating Damian over Dick in the hopes of some kind of clue. Black Bat commented that she only saw Robin patrolling by himself. Batgirl suspected that the kid was probably blaming himself, the same way they all were. She sat on the roof, next to the kid and looked him in the eyes. Or as close as she could manage with the masks between them.

"Perhaps Nightwing left because he didn't want to be here in Gotham," she said. "I'm certain you had nothing to do with it. He didn't leave to get away from you. The way he spoke about you, we all knew you were one of the things keeping him here."

"It wasn't enough," Robin responded in a small voice.

"Sometimes it isn't," she responded. "And we may never know whether leaving you was the hardest thing for him to do but, I guarantee you, it's not easy." Robin's eyes narrowed and she was certain she could see the colour of his irises behind the mask. "I mean it. Besides, I'm sure you'd be able to hunt him down hard enough that vanishing would be very difficult." She laughed at her own joke.

"-tt- You're a fool, Brown."

"Batgirl," she corrected.

Robin rolled his shoulders and his eyes. "Whatever, fatgirl."

She shrugged. Close enough. "If you're really worried, I'll help you search."

"Thanks for the offer but I can find him myself," Robin snapped back with heat and energy. Batgirl didn't feel offended because this was the first time there had been that heat and energy in the kid since Dick had vanished.

* * *

Alfred didn't show his loss. He had lost many people over the course of his life and it never seemed to hurt any less. Perhaps it even hurt more. He had seen Dick grow up in a fine young man.

He had seen the same young man become lost. He had seen the signs. Seen the loss of hope behind Dick's eyes. Every time someone cancelled plans at the last minute. Every insult hurled unthinkingly in his direction when he tried to spend time with people. After every argument and every life they failed to save. He had failed to take action to look after his charges.

He should have spoken with the family. He shouldn't have let them isolate themselves and hurt each other. But he had felt it wasn't his place.

Alfred made the same mistakes over and over again. He watched Master Bruce argue with Tim and eventually drive the teenager away.

He saw Damian withdraw and get comfort from his pets. He was glad to see Stephanie get through to him on some level. Damian started travelling after that, Robin moving around the country and the world. He followed a path only he knew but found trouble wherever he went, stopping evil plans and saving lives.

Alfred hadn't seen Jason in months. The young man sent letters, after those few times Alfred managed to catch Jason on a call with Bruce. A little comment about how he would like to hear from Jason had a letter turning up during the next week without fail.

The young man never did appear on the doorstep. Only his letters.

The young lady, Cassandra, visited less than Damian but more than the other boys. She came mostly for food and to bring him news from Oracle. Cass was much more comfortable with doing that in person.

"They are still searching," she commented on evening when it was just her and him in the house. "They all claim not to be but they are. It's not the same without Dick."

Alfred agreed. He hadn't seen any of them in the same room for months, Cass included.

Bruce was still pretending this didn't affect him, even as Batman had trouble pretending to be Bruce Wayne during public affairs.

Had Dick been here, Alfred was sure he would have done something. It might not have been the right thing but Dick was good at jumping without a safety net. He helped more often than he had not.


End file.
